Dark/Web
Lore
Both seasons of Lore tell a handful of real life stories that illustrate the origins of some of our world’s spookiest legends and events. Narration combined with live action recreations present tales of vampirism, grave-robbing, werewolves, and more.
Truth Seekers
(Arrives Oct. 30) Frost stars as Gus, a lonely guy who works a boring job installing broadband. By night, however, Gus uses his a personal tragedy as inspiration to investigate all manner of the paranormal. Ghost hunting is an increasingly popular pastime and it’s past time that it got some more representation on scripted television.
The Veil
1958’s The Veil consists of dramatizations of strange tales, the majority of which also feature host Boris Karloff in the cast. At story’s end, our host is back to offer a conclusion to that particular story of “the world beyond our understanding.” Not that 1950s TV audiences would have known about it, because The Veil wasn’t broadcast. Footage from its episodes appeared in some late sixties TV movies, and a DVD release followed in the 1990s, but its cancellation prior to airing have made it a cult find. That state in question? Wisconsin. Despite not achieving statehood until 1848, Wisconsin apparently has some of the most ghost activity of state in the union. And it’s up to four documentarians to investigate these spooky claims.
One Step Beyond
The amazing drama you are about to see is a matter of human record,” runs John Newland’s introduction to this Twilight Zone-esque series. “The real people who lived this story, they believe it, they know, they took that one step beyond. Famously, Newland took one step beyond himself when making “The Sacred Mushroom” episode in which he ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms and filmed his reaction. It’s not available here, but it’s out there in both senses of the phrase. The Day After (or Vyzhit posle in the original Russian) is another apocalyptic tale. It tells the story of a drug company trying to create super humans but instead releasing a deadly virus. The series picks up with 11 stranger waking up in a bunker with no memory of how they got there, and who must soon shoulder the fate of mankind.
The Witching Season
Oh you wanted more horror anthologies? Well The Witching Season is more than happy to oblige. The Witching Season was a fun little project from a group of upstart filmmakers to demonstrate the power of good horror storytelling. Docuseries Hellier dives deep into the creepy legacy of one of America’s least appreciated paranormal hotspots. The whole thing starts when a filmmaking team receives reports of hobgoblins on the loose in Hellier, Kentucky. But when the Canadian film crew arrives in the small, dying coal town, they soon discover that hobgoblins are the least of Hellier’s supernatural concerns.
The Living and the Dead
The BBC’s The Living and the Dead is an aesthetically beautiful show. It’s not entirely dissimilar to a British-ized The Returned. It stars Colin Moran as Nathan Appleby, a psychology who inherits a beautiful, if creepy manor. Sure, the property is a touch isolated but that doesn’t concern Nathan and his wife. It should because what comes next is a bit more Amityville Horror than The Returned. Apparitions stars Martin Shaw as Father Jacob Mays. Mays is tasked with examining potential miracles for canonization. But as Mays sets out, he begins to come into contact with dark forces in need of some exorcising. Apparitions is an excellent miniseries that has a shockingly complete perspective on how the Catholic Church operates.
Ghost Stories
“Come with me to a place of wondrous contradictions, a place that is silent and unstirring, yet restless and alive. A place of untold peace and boundless dread. Come with me into the very cradle of darkness, where those who dwell, dwell alone.” The show features Yvette Fielding and a rotating cast of paranormal investigators and has run for a staggering 290 episodes over 24 seasons. And there’s still more to come! That’s just some of the fun you can have when you live in the ancient ghostly paradise that is the British Isles.
